At least two issues of this journal focus on anxiety disorders:

Social Anxiety & Social Anxiety disorder Social Anxiety

Freedom From Fear (FFF)

Freedom From Fear conducts the National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day, founded in 1994, which is a free program to educate the public about anxiety and depressive illnesses and to offer individuals the opportunity to receive a free screening for these illnesses. The last program took place on May 3, 2006. Since its inception, more than 1 million individuals have been screened. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) co-sponsored this campaign in 2004 in which social worker participants received a packet to assist in conducting the project that included screening instruments, several videos (including “Physical Pain: The Other Side of Anxiety” and “Depression and Afraid of People: Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder,” a CD Rom with mental health fact sheets, and other educational materials.

The Effects of Anxiety: Symptoms, Signs, and Risk Factors

Social anxiety and problematic cannabis use: Evaluating the moderating role of stress reactivity and perceived coping.AU: Buckner-J-D; Schmidt-N-B; Bobadilla-L; Taylor-JSO: Behaviour-Research-and-Therapy. 44(7): 1007-1015, July 2006.Despite epidemiological reports indicating an association between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and cannabis use disorders (CUD), there is a paucity of research exploring the nature of this relationship. The present investigation examined potential moderators of this relationship that are consistent with a tension-reduction model of addiction. Specifically, physiological reactivity to stress and perceived coping with stress were evaluated as moderators of the relation between symptoms of SAD and CUD. Physiological (SCR) and subjective (perceived coping) responses to unpredictable white noise bursts were collected from non-clinical participants (n = 123). Lifetime symptoms of CUD and anxiety disorders were assessed using a structured diagnostic interview. CUD symptomatology was associated with symptoms of SAD but not with symptoms of any other anxiety disorder. Only perceived coping to unpredictable stimuli moderated the relationship between SAD and CUD symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of tension-reduction models of co-occurring social anxiety and problematic cannabis use. (Journal abstract.)

Information on Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder | HealthCentral

Social anxiety disorder in Veterans Affairs primary care clinics.AU: Kashdan-T-B; Frueh-B-C; Knapp-R-G; Hebert-R; Magruder-K-MSO: Behaviour-Research-and-Therapy. 44(2): 233-247, Jan. 2006.To examine the prevalence and correlates of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in veterans, 733 veterans from four VA primary care clinics were evaluatedusing self-report questionnaires, telephone interview, and a 12-month retrospective review of primary care charts. We also tested the concordance between primary care providers’ detection of anxiety problems and diagnoses of SAD from psychiatric interviews. For the multisite sample, 3.6% met criteria for SAD. A greater rate of SAD was found in veterans with than without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (22.0% vs. 1.1%), and primary care providers detected anxiety problems in only 58% of veterans with SAD. The elevated rate of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses and suicidal risk associated with SAD was not attributable to PTSD symptom severity. Moreover, even after controlling for the presence of major depressive disorder, SAD retained unique, adverse effects on PTSD diagnoses and severity, the presence of other psychiatric conditions, and suicidal risk. These results attest to strong relations between SAD and PTSD, the inadequate recognition of SAD in primary care settings, and the significant distress and impairment associated with SAD in veterans. (Journal abstract.)

Psychometric properties of the social phobia inventory: Further evaluation.AU: Antony-M-M; Coons-M-J; McCabe-R-E; Ashbaugh-A; Swinson-R-PSO: Behaviour-Research-and-Therapy. 44(8): 1177-1185, Aug. 2006.This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory [SPIN; Connor, K. M., Davidson, J. R. T., Churchill, L. E.,Sherwood, A., Foa, E., Wesler, R.H., 2000. Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). British Journal of Psychiatry, 176, 379-386], a measure of severity in social phobia (social anxiety disorder). Participants included 132 participants with social phobia, 57 participants with panic disorder and agoraphobia (PDA), and 62 participants with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Confirming findings from an initial validation study, the SPIN was found to have excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. It also distinguished well between those with social phobia and those with either PDA or OCD. Good convergent and discriminant validity were established by examining correlations with other conceptually related and unrelated scales. Finally, the SPIN was sensitive to changes in social phobia severity following cognitive behavioral group treatment. In conclusion, the SPIN is both reliable and valid for the measurement of social phobia severity and outcome following psychological treatment. (Journal abstract.)

Benzodiazepines for Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment

The following publication abstracts provide a perspective on current research concerning anxiety disorders. They are neither a complete compendium of current research, nor are the studies necessarily conducted by social work researchers. Culled from Social Work Abstracts ™, they reflect the growing knowledge base of assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. The abstracts are grouped under the headings of Assessment and Measurement, Family Issues, and Treatment and Interventions.

Drug details for Benzodiazepines for social anxiety disorder.

Development of the Anxiety Change Expectancy Scale (ACES) and validation in college, community, and clinical samples.AU: Dozois-D-J-A; Westra-H-ASO: Behaviour-Research-and-Therapy. 43(12): 1655-1672, Dec. 2005.This study investigated the psychometric properties of a newly developed 20-item instrument that assesses one’s anticipation of being able to change anxiety: the Anxiety Change Expectancy Scale (ACES). Study 1 evaluated the ACES in undergraduate university students, self-identified as experiencing difficulties with anxiety. Study 2 examined the ACES in a community sample of persons with anxiety difficulties. Study 3 tested the utility of the ACES in predicting treatment change in a group of individuals with generalized anxiety disorder participating in group cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety. Across these samples, the ACES demonstrated excellent internal reliability (coefficient alphas = .89-.92) as well as good convergent, divergent, and factorial validity. The ACES was also significantly predictive of treatment-related changes in somatic anxiety symptoms and worry. The results of these studies provide strong support for the ACES as a reliable and valid measure of expectancies for changinganxiety. (Journal abstract.)

Social Anxiety Disorder - Treatment Overview - WebMD

A detailed booklet that describes the symptoms, causes, and treatments of the major anxiety disorders, with information on getting help and coping.